GERMAN CEILING

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Figures released last month by the German Federal Employment Institute show almost no increase over the past decade in the percentage of women holding top managerial positions in private industry-still less than 2 percent. Women now make up about 20 percent of middle management, but fewer than one in five companies plan on more top jobs for women. Companies surveyed indicated that generous German maternal leave laws, including unpaid leave of up to 2 years, make moving women into such positions a bad gamble.